The Environmental Guy (and part-time background actor!)

Plastic or Paper….. Instead Bring your own bag

On Saturday October 15th Portland, Oregon’s plastic bag ban went into effect. Grocery stores, large box retailers and drug stores are now using paper bags instead of those thin, hard to recycle, plastic bags. While the paper bag is much easier to recycle then the plastic bag, the real solution is to always, always, yes always bring your own reusable bag. Put several in your car, near your bike and even one in your school bag. After using them at the store the best thing you can do is put them back in your car or bike bags. The biggest excuse I hear from people is that “I keep forgetting them”. Another sure way to never forget them is to force yourself to buy more if you leave them at home. Our family has 20 plus reusable bags and have been using them for over 10 years. I enjoy taking extra reusable bags with me to the store and giving them away to people who might not be able to afford them. They are easy to clean, stronger then plastic or paper and by using them you are saving millions of barrels of oil which are needed to make plastic bags. Some people will be upset, and changing habits is not easy, but removing the plastic shopping bag in Portland was and is the right thing to do. Hopefully other cities and states will follow Portland, Oregon. It makes me proud to live in the Pacific Northwest and call Portland home.

I got your RT on twitter! Thanks for sharing this with me. This is awesome! Go OREGON!!!
I heard many schools in the North West are now banning plastic Sandwich bags as well. If you’re interested… I make reusable sandwich bags. http://www.rhodacrookcloset.etsy.com
Thanks again for the share. I look forward to reading more of your blogs.
Carrie Stanton
Rhoda Crook’s Closet

I totally need some reusable sandwich bags! I reuse the plastic ones, but not taking them at all would be a good way to go, though I do try to recycle them. I still sometimes forget my reusable bag when I go to the store, but it’s mostly when I just run in for a couple things. I just carry them instead of buying another bag or taking a paper one. Maybe I look weird, but I don’t care. So do a lot of other people in Portland I love the bag ban.